Extent of carnage at Take That concerts revealed in new medical figures

Oh dear. Despite Gary Barlow’s finest attempts to ‘reconnect wiv da youf’, when Take That announced their new tour, the general expectation was that most of the tickets would be snapped up by middle aged ladies whose shrieking and fainting days were well behind them.

Not a bit of it. Official figures released yesterday show that paramedics had to deal with 792 medical cases – most alcohol or heat related – during the eight nights the band played at City of Manchester Stadium over the summer.

Taking a break from mortgage payments and childcare, it would seem that their dedicated fanbase set about getting as drunk, hysterical and over emotional as any teenager and went for broke.

It was already a matter of record that more than 100 women, mostly in their 30s and 40s, had to be treated in hospital after drinking too much after the concerts in 2011, but fans seemed more determined than ever to push the boat out in 2012.

The volume of fans who had overdone it resulted in a 10 per cent increase on admissions to Manchester Royal Infirmary according to doctors and around 160 extra patients had to be treated on the concert dates – or 27 per day.

The new figures, which emerged after a bizarre Freedom of Information request, have put the level of carnage into worrying perspective. They also show police dealt with 75 incidents and made 30 arrests.

The eight night sell out run at the Etihad stadium – home to Manchester City proved not only the dedication of their fanbase to the band themselves, but to indulgent drinking, silliness and carefree irresponsibility. These figures would actually beat most UK festivals hands down, and yet somehow Take That concerts are rarely seen as a threat to the public good or a symptom of the dissipated morality of the modern world. Maybe all that sucking up to the establishment Gary Barlow has been snout deep in actually paid off?